Robert -
Hope the fishing went well! Hard to find a fish much better to introduce novice anglers to fishing than the gullible hatchery rainbow!

It has been clear from all the hooking mortality studies that I have read it is clear that you are correct into most morality is caused by hook damage to a vital spot (usually the gills, eye, tongue, stomach). In all this debate surrounding wild steelhead retention moratorium no where have I seen selective gear rules being requested or required. Without that then hooking mortality will be a potential issue.

You position on the mortality of released steelhead seems to rely on your experience rather than the science that is out there but since the "science" agrees with your experience that "science" is OK and should be used. Why should we accept your steelhead hooking mortality experience over the science? Why not someone else's whose observation is different? Who becomes the expert?

My own experience for example would indiate that the mortalities normally assigned to hook and release steelhead is pretty much on target though maybe a little low for the general angler population (experts and novice combined).

This started with a sea-run cutthroat and it has been my observation that with barbless flies I can expect 1 to 2% of the cutts I catch to die almost immediately (less than 5 minutes). So even selective regulation may buy us total protection from hooking mortality. While I may not be the expert angler that you are I have fished enough to consider myself past the novice stage. In addition I have had the opportunity to fish with, talk with and observe a fair number of my fellow anglers and think that my observations would likely at least mirror the general angler population's impacts.

Tight lines
S malma